20050509009729I

Incident

FAA incident report · Cessna 172G · Lancaster, PA · May 9, 2005

Date: May 9, 2005 · 12:00 local
Place: Lancaster, PA
Airport: Lancaster
Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Aircraft: N1324F
Reported as: Cessna 172G
Reported engine: Lycoming O360*
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,509 total945 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days

N1324FRegistered now · Cessna 172GS/N 17254819 · Built 1966 Airframe modelCessna 172G Engine modelContinental 0-300 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The aircraft while returning home from louisa county (lku), Virginia was over the Lancaster Airport (lns) when the engine quit. The auxiliary fuel tank was selected and power was restored after 15 seconds. The engine did not seem to be running normally, so the pilot contacted lns tower and declared an emergency. A normal landing followed. An inspection by maintenance personnel revealed that the fuel system was heavily contaminated with water and rusty debris causing the engine to stop in flight. The aircraft owner admitted to not sumping the fuel tanks thoroughly because the sump drains would stick and leak afterwards. The aircraft owner, who was also the pilot, responded positively to counseling concerning his inadequate sumping of the fuel system during preflight. The complete fuel system was disassembled, cleaned, and repaired prior to the aircraft being returned to service.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT WHILE RETURNING HOME FROM LOUISA COUNTY (LKU), VIRGINIA WAS OVER THE LANCASTER AIRPORT (LNS) WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT. THE AUXILIARY FUEL TANK WAS SELECTED AND POWER WAS RESTORED AFTER 15 SECONDS. THE ENGINE DID NOT SEEM TO BE RUNNING NORMALLY, SO THE PILOT CONTACTED LNS TOWER AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. A NORMAL LANDING FOLLOWED. AN INSPECTION BY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL REVEALED THAT THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS HEAVILY CONTAMINATED WITH WATER AND RUSTY DEBRIS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STOP IN FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT OWNER ADMITTED TO NOT SUMPING THE FUEL TANKS THOROUGHLY BECAUSE THE SUMP DRAINS WOULD STICK AND LEAK AFTERWARDS. THE AIRCRAFT OWNER, WHO WAS ALSO THE PILOT, RESPONDED POSITIVELY TO COUNSELING CONCERNING HIS INADEQUATE SUMPING OF THE FUEL SYSTEM DURING PREFLIGHT. THE COMPLETE FUEL SYSTEM WAS DISASSEMBLED, CLEANED, AND REPAIRED PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT BEING RETURNED TO SERVICE.